New 36 gallon corner tank

[RobertDD]

Hi everyone,

I just bought a 36 gallon corner tank & stand. It will be a christmas gift to my youngest daugther (she is 12 years old). We have been looking for a corner tank for a while but I never found one that was affordable enough until now. This is the tank: http://slickdeals.net/?t=163075&u2=h...s/geneva.shtml. It came with a Whisper In-tank Filter 40i.

While it will be entirely her choice of what we will keep in the tank (fresh, marine, or whatever else she picks) I think I know that her first interest will be a reef tank (if not I'll convince her, lol). I have bought and read the "salt water aquarium for dummies" (or something like that) book and have been roaming over the internet. We got the makings for a great father daugther hobby here.

I found this site: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/ar...id=427&aid=419. It seems to have clear and straightforward, easy instructions. If this works we would be in business.

So what's the thought on all this from you guys (the experts, )?
1. Is a 36 gallon tank big enough or are we doomed from the start and should we stick with a fresh water setup?
2. Is the filter even usable in a salt water setup?
3. Should we follow the instructions from the web-site I quoted above or would we be in for disaster?
4. If your answer to all previous questions is no (and if it is, reread Q1 and Q3 and give me an answer that makes sense, please ), what should we do?

The tank will be a christmas gift and will be dry until then so I have a few weeks to get fully informed, although I am sure we will be making a trip to the local pet store for supplies the day after christmas.

By the way, for those interested in a deal on a similar tank, read this: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=163075

With kindest regards,
Robert Dijkman Dulkes

[xtopher]

Hey there welcome to TRT. As far as the size goes it is plenty big enough depending on what you want to do with it. Although... the smaller the tank the harder it is to keep your water perameters in check. A good way to add volume is with the use of a sump. This is when water flows into an external unit usually kept under the tank. As far as tthe filter goes I don't know. You are probably best off with a sump. That's only if you wish to keep corals. You will probably want to get a protein skimmer, although it is entirel up to you. I would rethink the liveaquaria approach and take the advice that you recieve here. Good Luck!

[ski1297]

Drsfostersmith.com good page to look at but good to ask before you buy. The best thing to do first if you want a reef is to read read and read some more. It can save you a lot of time and money. Welcome to TRT

[Geoff]

Welcome to TRT!!!



the tank itself is a fine choice. the rest of the equipment is not quite up to reef requirements. it might be a good idea to start out with that system as FW for now until you have some good reading under your belt on what is necessary for a reef tank. i feel that it is a little to close to Christmas to get everything needed to turn this into a reef tank effectively. having a FW tank will get her excited about keeping fish and get the maintenance aspects down. during this time you can be looking at what kind of stuff you would like to put in a reef tank. if you still feel that reef tanks are still what you want. SW tanks require a lot of research. they are not necessarily harder to take care of than FW, it is just heavily reasearch based. there are all kinds of limitations on critters in SW systems. one false fish can lock you into a system type that you may not want later.

research is the key in SW. we are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. there are no dumb questions when you are a beginner.

G~

[Loverotties]

Welcome to TRT! and good luck!

[VWD]

Welcome to to TRT!!!

You all will have a good time with it, your daugther will love it, Just start reading here and ask ? .

[motorslave]

Welcome to TRT! Youve got some good advice so far! As said, research is the key. A agree with Geoff, the tank is good the rest can be replaced. The best method of aproach IMO is to decide what type of coral you want to keep in the tank and research the requirements of that coral. Then build your tank around it. The common practice working right now for a good healthy system is 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of live rock per gallon of water and a very good skimmer (dont skimp on the skimmer, its very important) this will provide you with all the filtration you need for a happy reef. The lighting will depend on the type of corals you choose.
Filters such as the whisper and other s like it dont realy filter the water. They trap the waste in the tank untill you remove it by cleaning. Mean while, the bio-waste continues to decay in the water column adding toxins to the water.
LR (live rock) provides the biological filtration and a quality skimmer removes disolved solids from the water. This with proper husbandry will keep you tank happy and clean while providing a simple set up that doesnt require a ton of labor to maintain.
Do alot of reading here on anything you can think of and ask every question that cross3es your mind! A well designed system will give you a beautiful tank and a great chance at success!
Welcome to TRT!!

Robert

[RobertDD]

I just wanted to say thank you to all that have replied till now. I am currently quite busy reading and getting some questions down and I will be adding to this soon with some new questions, but for now, thank you all very much!

[DSB]

There are two things I've learned here.

1) GO SLOW
2) Nothing is " clear and straightforward"

Good luck with your project and you came to the right place for help.